Impact of sprouting pretreatment on phytic acid and polyphenol level of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) flour

The seeds of two cultivars of faba bean (Vicia faba L.), namely Qidou 2 and Big Qinpi, were germinated for 6 days to obtain 2-, 4- and 6-day-old sprouts. Faba bean sprout (5% and 10%) was added to faba bean flour. The mixtures were incubated at 30 o C with shaking for 30, 60, 90 and 120 min. Phytic acid and polyphenol contents were assayed for all treatments. The results revealed that phytic acid and polyphenol contents were significantly (P < 0.05) reduced. When a mixture containing 10%, 4-day-old malt and faba bean flour was incubated for 120 min, it significantly (P < 0.05) reduced phytic and polyphenol contents by 92% and 98%, respectively, for Qidou 2 cultivar, while for Big Qinpi they were reduced by 93% and 96%, respectively. The rate of reduction of phytic acid and polyphenol content increased with incubation time and sprout age and concentration.